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Penny Heyns: ‘In the zone’ Tatjana Smith can do rare breaststroke double at Paris Olympics

South Africa's Tatjana Smith poses with her medal after winning the women's 100m breaststroke at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Photo: Oli Scarff/AFP

South Africa's Tatjana Smith poses with her medal after winning the women's 100m breaststroke at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Photo: Oli Scarff/AFP

Published Jul 30, 2024

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South African swimming legend Penny Heyns has backed golden girl Tatjana Smith to do the 100m and 200m breaststroke double and become the second swimmer to achieve the feat at an Olympic Games.

Smith had to come from behind to win the 100m breaststroke on Monday night after China’s Tang Qianting threw down the gauntlet with a blistering first 50m in the pool.

But Team SA’s Smith, who won the silver in this event in Tokyo in 2021, kept her composure before going ahead with a couple of lengths to go, touching the wall ahead of Qianting.

Heyns is the only other athlete in the history of the Olympics to do the 100m and 200m breaststroke double, when she absolutely obliterated the field at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Smith won gold in her favourite 200m breaststroke event in Tokyo and will look to go back-to-back in Paris. The heats take place on Wednesday, with the final scheduled for Thursday evening.

She already holds both 100m and 200m titles as it stands, but Heyns can’t wait for her to be the second South African do the breaststroke double in a single Olympics.

“I said she can do the double, but afterwards I looked at the stats. People talk about the double, and I did it in the same Olympics, but Tatjana has now done it, she holds both titles,” Heyns said on SuperSport.

“All I can say is that Tatjana is now the other swimmer who has won 100 and 200 gold [in the breaststroke] at the Olympics. Another South African, which is pretty cool. I know the Americans thought they would be the ones to do it, but I’m just so proud of Tatjana for doing it.”

According to Heyns, Smith focus and her ability to correct her mistakes in the pool was the main reason for taking the gold in the 100m on Monday when it looked like Qianting was on the verge of victory.

During the heats and semi-final, Heyns noticed that Smith’s finish wasn’t great. She was “jamming the touch”, meaning that her stroke count was maybe off, which made her uncertain as to where the wall was.

In the end, though, it was her Chinese competitor who struggled with the finish, as she lost rhythm towards the end of the race when trying to reach for the wall.

“We had been discussing the semi-final and how she jammed the touch. But it was the total opposite in the final ... she won because she had the most perfect finish,” Heyns said.

“This is a great lesson about how it’s possible to learn from your earlier races.

“You coulnd’t have a more perfect finish, I think the Chinese girl jammed it at the end, but that comes with experience.

“With Tatjana, this is the first Olympics swimming in front of the crowd after Tokyo. It was just a precision race.”

Heyns also enjoyed the fact that Smith was smiling and relaxed when walking into the arena, but still showing that confidence and focus, which eventually got her over the finish line in the end.

Smith was quite emotional after winning the gold in the 100m, and it’s going to be tough to focus on the next job at hand after such a high. However, Heyns believes that Smith will be ready to for her next challenge.

“I think she was in the zone, and that is when she is at her best. She came out with a smile on her face and I think that was important,” said Heyns.

“Every person is different, so it’s hard for me to say how it might be for her after winning the 100m event.

“But at this level you get used to it. Tatjana has been part of so many international competitions and she has actually won on that stage.

“She has done the race and it’s the past now. She will get home and celebrate and then it’s back to the business at hand. That is what sport is about.”

@JohnGoliath82

IOL Sport

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